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Pond Field Guide

School: Montague Center School

City/State: Montague, MA

Grade(s): 1

Format(s): Field guide: Natural science

Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science and Technology, Visual Arts

Project Overview

This two-page quick-reference field guide was created by 1st grade students at the Montague Center School, in Montague, Massachusetts, and includes digital photographs and writing about animals found in the pond next to the school.

Students did fieldwork at the pond, during which they worked with a local naturalist.

The original product was two-sided, printed on heavy stock, and laminated, providing a weather-proof easy-to-use single-page reference for identifying and learning about organisms that live in the pond.

How This Project Can Be Useful

  • A useful simplified version of the field guide format – one that allows all students to contribute on one page
  • A simple product that can be easily reproduced and given to every student in the school, or given/sold to community members
  • Writing is simple and nicely captures the perspective of young children while also providing accurate information
  • Shows young children engaged in fieldwork with outside experts

Common Core State Standards

Standard Long Term Learning Target
W.1.2
  • I can include an ending to my informational text.
W.1.8
  • With support from adults, I can answer questions about things I’ve done or learned about.
L.1.1
  • I can use grammar conventions to send a clear message to a reader or listener.
L.1.6
  • I can speak using words I hear in books.
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